The Ritual

I

An early morning in the month of harvest, Brida was on her way to the forest for her daily morning walk. The camp was still asleep, knocked out from yesterday's feast. The fireplaces were almost completely burnt out and the earthy ground had been trampled to mud. Last night was the second time Brida had been part of the whole celebration of ‘Haustblót’, which meant ‘Autumn Sacrifice’. Brida did not particularly enjoy this ritual but the feast afterward was always amusing. The women were usually preparing the feast while the sacrifice was made.
Since Brida had gained a reasonable amount of respect among the men, she was now one of the few women who were allowed to join the ritual. One of their finest horses had been sacrificed while the skalds chanted their poems to the gods. The fire cast demon-like shadows while the Danes covered the walls with blood as the skald’s poems echoed over the camp. Since Brida now had the privilege to participate in this tradition she made sure to be present at the ritual but also to keep a distance from the grotesque acts. She found the tradition unpleasant and eerie. It made her think of stories her mother had told her about the Danes when she was a child and she did not want to acknowledge that her mother had been right about the Danes.
Haustblót was only celebrated once a year to elaborate on the marking of the harvest season's end and show gratitude to Odin. Brida had contributed a big pot of ale and mushroom mixture to the feast which had been very appreciated since the Danes loved to dream with the gods. The mixture she had offered had used most of her mushroom supplies which was one of the reasons for her early morning walk. She needed to collect more mushrooms to make more festive ale mixture and supplies for her medical salves and potions. A basket hung at her arm and a dagger at her side. She hummed a tune that had stayed with her since last evening's festivity as she slowly walked towards the forest.
The muddy ground was replaced with autumn leaves as Brida got further away from the camp. A thin layer of morning fog was still lurking among the tree trunks. Brida took a deep breath of the brisk air, filling her lungs with the chilled haze. She admired the view and enjoyed the sound of the crisp leaves under her shoes. The forest was painted in vibrant fiery colors. Leaves on the ground twirled around in small formations as a breeze swept through the trees. Birds tweeted among the tree tops and rays of sunrise sipped through the branches, making her bracelets sparkle. The sound of the sleeping camp became more distant and the path she walked on turned into a wild path overgrown with roots. This was Brida’s favorite part of the day, the only time she got to be truly alone. A time when she easily could get lost in her daydreams, away from the men and their manliness.
Brida filled her basket with various mushrooms, herbs, and tree roots. Brida consistently tasted the mushrooms and herbs before putting them in the bundle to ensure they were not poisonous. Brida was familiar with the effects of poisonous mushrooms and wanted to avoid making anyone sick. The basket now contained all types of mushrooms in all different colors, some were for eating, but most of them she picked for medical use. She also picked mushrooms for a new mixture that she intended to make for the men who wanted to continue to dream with the gods when they woke up. Yesterday’s feast would undoubtedly result in ailing men and Brida knew a recipe that would ease the headaches and nausea for those who did not want to continue dreaming.
A twittering melody was suddenly heard surprisingly close to her. Brida looked up and saw a small bird only a few good meters in front of her, sitting on the lowest branch of an oak. It had an unusual blue colour, almost identical to a cornflower’s petals, and a silver line along the tip of its wings. Its beak was small, pointed, and longer than most other beaks. Brida carefully studied the bird. She had never seen a bird like this before. Slowly, she took a step closer to get a better view. The movement made the bird fly to the next tree, keeping a safe distance from Brida. Laying its tiny head on the side as it studied her. It started to sing after only a few seconds of looking at her. The song had the most enchanting melody Brida ever heard. The melody did somehow sound familiar like she had heard it before. Entranced, Brida tried to figure out where she had heard this melody.
She took another careful step towards the bird, this time it did not fly further away. The bird continued to sing its tune and Brida's eyes filled with tears as she realized that it was the melody of a lullaby her mother used to sing for her as a child. Emotions washed over her, making her lose her balance for a second. She quickly parried her body, but the sudden move had scared the bird, which had now flown further away. Annoyed with her clumsiness, Brida cursed under her breath. It took her a minute to find the bird, but when she saw that it had only flown to the next tree, Brida let out a breath she did not realize she had been holding. The bird seemed to always stay close to her, even though she had frightened it. Brida slowly began to follow the bird. The bird never flew further than Brida could see, still carefully studying Brida, whistling on the familiar melody.